While the Lakers were run out of the building in their game against the Suns, they had been generally playing some very good and fun basketball. After the Lakers loss to the Atlanta Hawks that saw Kobe Bryant go down with an ankle injury in the closing seconds, they played a tough, physical game against the Indiana Pacers and won a more uptempo finesse game against the Sacramento Kings.

The result of each game was a win despite the very different nature in which they were played, but a few things remained constant: 1) The ball moved very well, with all guys who saw at least 20 minutes in those two games shooting the ball at least six times. Five guys scored in double figures in the game against the Pacers and six guys scored in double figures in the game against the Kings. There was a natural flow to the offense, it was ran through Dwight Howard, and guys stepped up when needed. 2) The three ball fell at a solid rate in both games. They made .500 of their threes against the Pacers and .429 against the Kings. The Lakers three point success was directly related to the ball moving well and shots being taken from the offense playing inside out. 3) They didn’t let turnovers kill them. They had 15 and 13 turnovers, respectively, but neither the Pacers nor the Kings had a tremendous number of points off turnovers or fast break points. 15 turnovers is around their season average, and while it isn’t the most clean game the Lakers can play, they didn’t turn the ball over in positions favorable to their opposition.

In other words, the Lakers were Dr. Jekyll, a “large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty”. While smooth faced may not suit may guys suited up in the Forum Blue and Gold, they’re a rather large team full of old guys. And like Jekyll, the Lakers have been trying to fight off the hoop evils that just aren’t suited for a team of this stature. Considering the expectations, this Lakers team should be well above two games over .500 — and for those two games without either Bryant or Gasol on the floor — they ostensibly fought those evils away and played good basketball.

While it’s hard to ignore the egg that the Lakers laid against the Suns (again), the Lakers pretty much continued their stretch of good hoops in the first half of their game against the Wizards. The ball movement was absolutely brilliant, and the movement off of the ball was equally great. Dwight Howard made a gorgeous pocket pass to Pau in the paint. Steve Blake made a couple of gorgeous passes (one to a cutting Jodie Meeks and the other being a behind-the-back pass to Antawn Jamison who was cutting baseline). Kobe was using the attention he got from the defense to find open teammates, which led to six first half assists. Everyone who saw time in the first half took at least two shots and no one took more than six.

The three ball was also falling at a 50 percent clip. Ron Artest hit both of the attempts he took in the first half (his only two shots of the first half) and all four guys off the bench hit one-of-two from behind the arc. The Lakers only made one more three pointer in the first half than the Wizards, but the Wizards took three more attempts. The Lakers looked like a fine-tuned machine, a team that had spent the whole season together, the team pundits and fans alike expected to see by at least December. While it was a bit later in the season than expected, it was nice to see the potential of this team realized, even if it was against what seemed like an inferior opponent. The Lakers ability to shoot the ball at a high clip coupled with their exquisite ball movement led to a 16-point halftime lead.

There was a red flag, though. Nine turnovers. Nine turnovers is quite a bit, and those nine turnovers turned into 14 first half fast break points for the Wizards. The transformation was coming to the surface.

Mr. Hyde.

The Lakers turned into a completely different team in the second half. In an attempt to rid themselves of the hoops evils that had haunted them all season, those very evils came to fruition in the second half of this game and they were outscored by the Wizards 62-43 in the final 24 minutes.

On the defensive end, a combination of their inability to stay in front of John Wall coupled with their unwillingness to aggressively close out on shooters or run them off of the three point line led to them putting themselves in some compromising positions. Either John Wall was finishing around the rim, finding one of his bigs for a layup at the basket or finding a wing for a wide-open three pointer. Wall had 18 points on six-for-11 shooting with 11 assists in the second half alone.

The biggest beneficiary of Wall’s ability to get into the paint at will was ex-Laker Trevor Ariza, who hit five (WIDE OPEN) three pointers in the second half, seven in the game — a career high for made three pointers. Ariza was largely found wide open because of Kobe’s propensity to play free safety and his disinclination for getting back out to the perimeter when Ariza received kick out passes. And when Kobe wasn’t being lazy, he was just flat out wrong. There was one play in particular where Wall got caught in the air near the left wing and Kobe assumed that he was going to pass to Nene at the elbow, but instead opted for a skip pass to Ariza in the right corner, that led to one of his five 2nd half three pointers.

For the most part, the Lakers rotations were worse than biting into a steak sandwich laced with globs of unwanted mayonnaise (this happened to me tonight), and it all really began with the whole crew of guards’ inability to keep Wall out of the paint. One late rotation led to another, a pattern that continued until there was no rotation at all and an open shot was taken.

On the other end of the floor, the ball movement we saw in the first half was nearly non-existent. Guys held on to the ball for long stretches, there was too much dribbling without purpose and the shot distribution went from a looking like a plateau to looking like a cliff. Kobe took 13 shots in the second half, and no other Laker took more than five (Steve Nash took five, everyone else had fewer than that). And when the game was tight in the final eight or so minutes, there was a stretch where Kobe took eight of the Lakers nine shots, completely taking the rest of the team out of rhythm.

Mr. Hyde.

The result was a 103-100 loss at home at the hands of a team, while much improved, the Lakers really should beat. There was a whole first half of really good basketball, but even against some of the NBA’s bottom feeders, if you only play one half of basketball, chances are you aren’t going to pull out the victory. It was expected for this team to take a bit of time to figure each other out with Kobe and Pau back in the lineup, but with a 16-point lead going into the 2nd half, it’s a game that absolutely needs to be closed out regardless of circumstance.

And while the loss stings, it doesn’t sting nearly as much as the team potentially losing Antawn Jamison for some time because of the sprain wrist he suffered tonight. We’ll await the MRI tomorrow to know how serious, but a sprained wrist on the shooting hand of a guy who had been playing very well is going to have its consequences whether or not he misses games. The Lakers have the rest of the weekend off to work out some of their kinks before they head up north to play the Warriors in an important game in terms of playoff positioning.

There’s really not a lot to say about this game so I’m going to keep this short.

Against the Suns the Lakers played like a tired team. After playing only 7 players against the Kings the night before, the same tactic was tried against the Suns and they simply didn’t have the legs to make it work.

They were beat to nearly every loose ball. Their jumpers hit front rim or rattled in and out. They were caught flat footed on defense and were barely moving to grab rebounds. The Suns, meanwhile, looked fresh. They cut hard and chased rebounds out of their area. They got out in the open court and finished on the break. They hit jumpers and moved around the floor freely. The difference in the two teams was reflected in the score, with the Lakers falling 99-76.

Really, my summary of this game could be summed up in two tweets:

This is one time where I’ll basically put a loss on the coach. These guys are dead tired & nothing was done to try and counter that.

— Darius Soriano (@forumbluegold) March 19, 2013

The team is encouraged to still play fast, few timeouts were taken, & there’s been no subs played on the 2nd night of a back to back.

— Darius Soriano (@forumbluegold) March 19, 2013

Mike D’Antoni deserves a lot of credit for how this team has played in turning their season around. He’s established roles, gotten the necessary buy in from his players, and has made countless tweaks to his scheme to try and get the most out of the skills of his guys. Many ignore these things when evaluating this team, but none of these positives are lost on me.

That said, tonight he didn’t put his team in a position to succeed. That hasn’t happened much lately, but it did against the Suns. The result was a loss.

Getting into the X’s and O’s of this game, then, really is pointless. What matters now is that the team doesn’t play again until Friday and the hope is that by that point they’ll not only be sufficiently rested but will also have Kobe and Pau back.

So, as frustrating as this loss was, it’s best to just put it behind you as quickly as you can. This team is still in the playoff hunt and is still a team that has a workable plan for success moving forward. Tonight was not a good showing from the players nor the coach. I’m pretty sure that won’t be the norm too many more times this year.

Since Pau Gasol was traded to the Lakers in February 2008, the Lakers have never won a game where both players didn’t play. Against the Kings that changed with a 113-102 victory that offered a lot of highlights and some big performances from nearly every player who got onto the floor.

This win really was a team effort. Nearly every player — basically everyone except Jodie Meeks — gave close to a peak performance and, more specifically, were able to play to their strengths in a way that really accentuated their value to the team. Consider the following:

• Steve Nash racked up 12 assists and added 19 points on efficient shooting.
• Dwight Howard totaled 17 rebounds along with 5 blocks while doing a good job of establishing the post on offense.
• Antawn Jamison came off the bench providing an excellent scoring punch, scoring a team high 27 points on a variety of inside and outside shots.
• Steve Blake was the consummate floor general in running the 2nd unit, but also added very good production with 16 points and a very impressive 8 assists.
• Earl Clark was energetic and provided a little bit of everything from a stats standpoint with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a blocked shot.

Only Ron with his 22 points on 10-13 shooting really stepped outside his normal role (defense first) to provide a real offensive spark and a creator of offense in isolation and in hitting his spot up jumpers. Don’t get me wrong, Ron is capable of this type of performance, but he actually played more of a Kobe-lite role than the one he typically plays for the Lakers.

But every other player essentially played his normal role but did so at a level that was at or very close to their peak level play for the team. When you get that type of play from nearly every player who sees the floor, the expectation is that a win would follow. That was exactly the case for the Lakers tonight, even though the Kings were a very game opponent (as we mentioned they would be in the preview).

Really, that total team effort is what made this game so fun to watch. These guys were having fun out there and were really playing for each other, producing results in the process. You could see it in every extra pass (which there were plenty), in every high five, in every smile when a teammate did something great.

And, there were plenty of great moments. Steve Blake and Antawn Jamison were stunning in their ability to hit shots and, more simply, just execute the play in front of them by being better than their man. Jamison was not just hot from the outside, but he timed his cuts perfectly and did a great job of finishing on the move. Blake was not just hitting shots as a spot up shooter, but was creating looks for himself and his teammates off the dribble. On one memorable play, Blake dribbled along the baseline and underneath the hoop, took a b-line up the side of the paint, and then threw a nifty lob to Dwight who laid the ball in for an easy deuce. The play looked so much like one the other Steve would make that you had to double take to make sure it actually wasn’t Nash.

And the night was filled with moments like that from every player. Whether it was Nash hitting leaning jumpers coming out of the pick and roll or Dwight protecting the paint for the entire 2nd half (while playing 20 of the 24 minutes) to make sure that the Kings would have to win this game from the outside, there were just countless big plays from so many different guys that it’s hard to single anyone out.

Everyone was good; everyone helped get this win. Even Meeks and Clark — who weren’t nearly as sharp as the rest of their teammates — soaked up some valuable minutes and played hard when they were on the floor. And even though they didn’t have the same positive results, they were right there trying their best and cheering on their mates who were producing.

That’s what this game was about. The Kings aren’t a world beater and the Lakers, though short handed, were favored to win this game for a reason. But the way they went about their business — not letting the Kings’ shot making get them down; never giving in — was just a great sight to see. The ball moved, guys were cutting hard off the ball, and no one seemed to worry about anything besides making a good play. Efforts like this not only make you smile while you’re watching it, but make you proud too. Just a very good team win for the Lakers.

Gross. Gritty. Grotesque. Gruesome.

For three quarters, the Lakers and Pacers engaged in one of the ugliest games of the season. Both teams were shooting under 40 percent from the field and both teams were shooting lest than 43 percent around the rim. There were loads of bunnies missed right at the bucket way too many long twos were taken and the two teams had combined to shoot six-for-19 on mid-range jump shots. Also through three quarters, both teams were reckless with the ball with each team turning it over 13 times.

For much of the season, these were the kind of games that the Pacers seemed to win and the Lakers seemed to lose. And with two of their best four players in Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol sidelined with injuries (Kobe gave his ankle a go in the first quarter, but wasn’t able to return), the writing seemed like it was on the wall — the Lakers would be heading home with another road loss. The Pacers went into the fourth quarter with a one-point lead, a healthier lineup, a better bench unit and more size to collect the rebound from misses that came at an alarming rate up until that point.

Then the fourth quarter happened. Both teams lifted their collective games and some fantastic basketball was played. While the Lakers may have run a variety of sets in the fourth quarter, they largely ran their offense through Dwight, looking to get him the ball in the post on both sides of the lane, giving him room to operate and sliding down to the wing to receive open passes should a post up stall. They ran a series of P&Rs between Nash and Dwight, they ran the Horns sets a few times and even got the ball to Howard through the center-opposite action a few times.

The variety in the Lakers sets down the stretch kept the Indiana defense on their heels, and allowed for the Lakers to shoot some open jumpers — that they were actually able to knock down. They cut down on the number of long twos that they shot in the fourth (only three of their 20 fgas were between 15 feet and the 3-point line, and they made two of those). And it wasn’t only hitting the shots, but the timeliness of the shots that they made were huge.

There were five times in the fourth quarter where the Lakers recaptured the lead after the Pacers either tied the game or took the lead. Steve Blake’s three pointer after sliding down to the left wing during a Dwight post up; Steve Nash’s pull up 17-footer with 7:45 left to play; Earl Clark’s three-pointer to put the Lakers back up three after Paul George knocked down a game tying three of his own; Blake’s 2nd three pointer of the quarter following George Hill’s floater over Dwight that gave Indiana a one-point lead; and then Dwight’s layup that he slammed off the backboard with his right hand after Hill’s mid-range jumper tied the game — all huge plays for the Lakers down the stretch.

And when the Lakers took that final lead off of Howard’s layup with about 1:30 left to play in the game, they held onto the lead and closed out the game. The Pacers shot two-for-six in the final 90 seconds while Jamison hit a huge three to extend the lead to two possessions and Howard was able to get a break away dunk off of a loose ball that essentially put the game on ice.

This wasn’t just a huge win because it was on the road against a good team without two of their best players, it was also a huge win because of the way they won. The Lakers, even when winning, haven’t been able to pull out the ugly victories much this season. They didn’t shoot well to begin the game. Hell, they didn’t shoot well through the first three quarters. But they played hard for those three quarters to keep them within striking distance going into the fourth. They worked hard on the defensive end by contesting shots at the rim (Indiana shot 43 percent on field goals at the rim tonight). They could have done a much better job of running shooters off of the line, but for the most part the defensive energy was good enough to keep the Pacers offensive attack off balance.

D’Antoni got solid contributions from almost everyone who played tonight. Steve Blake and Antawn Jamison were the keys tonight. Blake was five-for-eight from the field with 18 points, but he stuffed the stat sheet adding six rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocks while only committing one turnover. Jamison wasn’t as spectacular, but he shot six-for-10 from the field with 17 points and hit a couple of timely threes to help the Lakers cause down the stretch.

Dwight and Ron were both very good tonight for the starting unit. Dwight had 20 points on seven-for-17 shooting, but showed tons of maturity during the fourth quarter allowing the offense to run through him and constantly making the right play. He had a few shots that didn’t fall around the rim, mainly do to a lack of touch, but his kick out to Steve Blake and an absolutely gorgeous pass to a cutting Jamison that was almost Shaq-esque really stood out. Ron, who was a bit reckless in some instances as he sometimes is, played a decent game, and hit a few shots in the third quarter to help keep the game from getting away from them after Indiana got off to a hot start to begin the 2nd half.

All-in-all, I was largely impressed with the grit this team had tonight. Road wins against a tough, physical teams come at a premium — and with a series of very winable games over the next week and a half (v. Sac, @PHX, v. Was, @GS, @MIN). The Lakers are putting themselves in position to not only make the post season, but maybe finish with either the seventh or sixth seeds, pulling them away from a first-round match up against the Spurs or Thunder. While there is still a lot of hoops left to be played, you have to love what they were able to do tonight.

Tonight was an absolutely ugly game from both teams. Los Angeles were coming in after a win in Orlando while the Hawks were coming off of a huge loss from Miami, and the game looked like both teams were on the second half of a back-to-back. The Hawks would ultimately win this game 96-92, but they did everything they could down the stretch to give it away.

The two biggest problems for the Lakers tonight was their poor shot selection and their missed defensive assignments. Kobe came out chucking the ball like he did in the Orlando game, and wasn’t able to hit on anything until late in the second quarter. Kobe took a lot of contested jump shots and went into the half with three points on 1-8 shooting. There were too many possessions where Kobe spent more time dribbling the ball than actively looking to make plays for either himself or his teammates. Instead of playing within the flow of the game, it seemed like he was constantly looking to get himself going after a couple of down games — which ultimately ended up with him having another down game (31 points on 33 shots with five of the Lakers eight turnovers).

The offense never really got into a groove on the night. Kobe set the tone early with long jumpers, and that’s what the rest of the team did the rest of the night. 47 of their 92 shots tonight were from at least 15 feet and out, including 29 three pointers. Of those 47 shots, they only made 11, which is a staggering 23 percent. A lot of these longer shots turned into fast breaks for the Hawks, who scored 11 fast break points and plenty more on secondary breaks. This also led to quite a few kick out three pointers after guards got into the lane after Lakers defenders failed to get back on the defensive end in a timely fashion.

On the other end of the floor, we saw more signs of the Lakers playing on the 2nd of a back-to-back. The rotations were constantly slow, guys were getting beat off the dribble and guys weren’t able to find their man off the ball. There were several times, especially early as the Hawks built their biggest lead of 14 where Kobe got sucked into the lane hoping to help out on either Horford or Johan Petro and ended up getting burnt by a three point shooter or a cutter back door. With Earl Clark going down early with an ankle injury, the Hawks were able to clean up some of the boards and guy like Petro was able to record a double-double.

The second half looked a bit better for the Lakers — especially Kobe — who shot eight-for-16 in the third quarter and recorded 20 points to keep them within striking distance. In the fourth, the Lakers were able to take a four point lead, but weren’t able to hold onto the lead or recapture it down the stretch because they simply couldn’t make shots. The Lakers were 3-11 in the last five minutes of the game, which included two missed bunnies from Kobe and Ron that would have given the Lakers a one-point lead with about a minute left to play. The Hawks’ John Jenkins and Kyle Korver missed free throws down the stretch, but the Lakers weren’t able to take advantage of them.

The loss for the Lakers was huge, but they may have suffered an even bigger loss if they end up losing Kobe for an extended period. He attempted a game tying jumper with about two seconds left to play and landed on Dahntay Jones’ foot, spraining his ankle. Kobe was able to walk off the floor under his own power and his X-rays were negative, but according to Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski, Kobe will be out indefinitely.

Lakers say Bryant is “out indefinitely.”

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 14, 2013

With Kobe, you never know what that means as he’s played through so many injuries, but tonight, it’s not the greatest sign moving forward. The Jazz lost, so they’ll hold onto their 8th spot out West for another day, but the Mavericks are coming on strong (1 game back), so not having Kobe for just one game could be really tough to overcome, especially with the Pacers up next on the schedule.